SUPERINTENDENT TALKS SECURITY: WCCS discusses school safety

January 9, 2013

COLUMBIA CITY â€” Whitley County Consolidated School District Board of School Trustees heard from WCCS superintendent Dr. Pat Oâ€™Connor on Monday regarding the future of school safety in the district.

This discussion came in light of the December shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. After meeting with local law enforcement, Oâ€™Connor said these partnerships will be the engine that drives school safety.

In future weeks, meetings will be planned involving school administrators, the Indiana State Police and members from the Whitley County Sheriffâ€™s Department and Columbia City Police Department. Following those meetings the district plans on reviewing safety drills at each building for the students.

Columbia City Police Chief Tim Longenbaugh said the meeting with the superintendent went well and will further connections between the two groups. The chief said being proactive is the only way to prevent a crisis.

Another note from the superintendentâ€™s meeting with law enforcement was the issue of having a school resource officer (SRO) for the district. Oâ€™Connor received 17 surveys back that she sent to other school districts. Of those 17, 11 have a SRO, who are funded in various ways by those districts. Three of the 11 also had a canine officer at the school with the SRO.

In other business, the board appointed its officers for the 2013 year. Don Armstrong was elected board president, Tim Bloom vice-president and Deb Hiss board secretary. Meetings were established to be the first and third Mondays of each month at 5:30 p.m.

For a more in-depth look at this story, see the Jan. 9 issue of The Post and Mail. Don't have a subscription? Call (260) 244-5153 or subscribe to our e-edition. For breaking news, sports updates and additional coverage, bookmark the homepage and find us on facebook.